Critics: ME health deal hurts patients

Auburn resident Brenda Weeks uses a power wheelchair and has four to six doctor's appointments each month to manage her multiple sclerosis. Now a proposed health insurance deal may force the 54-year-old to switch physicians or buy a new policy. Her doctors at Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston would not be part of a health insurance network proposed by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the state's largest health insurer, and MaineHealth, the state's largest network of hospitals and care providers. A hearing will be held Friday by Maine's Bureau of Insurance on the proposed partnership between Anthem and MaineHealth.